TAA Represents

As readers you can tell we're not working for daily newspapers anymore as it's taken us an entire week to report on the community meeting for the new Constant Friendship development adjacent to Target that was held June 5 at the Ramada. But here at TAA we did attend the meeting, which consisted of many concerned community members.
Not really.
Just your TAA correspondent.
So TAA received firsthand all the info. The four buildings are planned for service uses. One confirmed is a daycare center, another not-quite-yet confirmed addition is a ballet studio.
They are not planning on taking additional trees, as most of the area has already been cleared. The design of the buildings will be similar to those of the new buildings near WaWa on 924.
TAA voiced the traffic concerns and that the additional buildings would cause even more chaos. TAA also expressed happiness that it was not another storage facility (which developers did not seem amused by) but that it was going to be for local service people.
Also overhead at meeting, the lot near BJ's that was recently auctioned off was bought by a local hotel/motel developer, but that the Constant Friendship property is not going to be for a hotel/motel.
Developers also seemed to be in the dark about the work on the 24/Tollgate Road intersection that stopped unexpectedly. He said the state made him take down the large sign, cleared trees, and then left. It is still planned. But did the money run out?

Constant Friendship: A Troubling Development

In case you missed it, in last Wednesday's Aegis there was a notice of a community input meeting concerning Constant Friendship Lot 3. Although they had a county url in there to get more information, I couldn't find anything on the county Web site so I e-mailed them. I got a call from someone from the county, and she said they hadn't been yet notified about the meeting. I told her I was concerned about the increasing traffic and she said, "You know, all that was decided in 1987."
Today I received an e-mail response from Frederick Ward Associates, who sent me a PDF of the development. While I thought it might be another building behind Target because of the location, I was shocked at what I saw. It's not one building, but FOUR, with a huge parking lot. It is equally as big as the Target site, and it will use the same access road, on Arundel Court (the back entrance to Wal-Mart, first entrance to Target)
Once we figure out how to post the PDF, we will.
The meeting is set for 6 p.m. June 5 at the Ramada Conference Center in Edgewood. If you'd like more information, contact Kevin Small at ksmall@fredward.com or 410.838.7900.
While I understand that we need businesses -- don't we also need a way to get in and out of them safely? And how long must we hear everything was decided on 20 years ago?

Plumtree/24 Rezoning

After a little digging, we found what the rezoning signs were about on Rte. 24 near Plumtree Road. It was called to our attention by an advertisement in The Aegis, placed by the Klein Family, owners of the Klein's Family Markets, stating that they had no zoning responsibility about this 52.392 acre parcel. It helpfully added a a rezoning case number.
The ad said that the hearing was scheduled for Nov. 7, but it's apparently been moved to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19. This is what I found on the county Web site:

CASE NO. 170:
KLEIN / TURNER LIMITED JOINT VENTURE - 1921, 2001 & 2014 Emmorton Road, Bel Air
Rezoning, proposed for the First Election District, 1921, 2013 & 2014 Emmorton Road, Bel Air, BY KLEIN / TURNER LIMITED JOINT VENTURE (PROPERTY OWNERS: 1921 EMMORTON ROAD LLC; 2001 EMMORTON ROAD LLC; AND EVERGREEN BUSINESS TRUST) (CONTRACT PURCHASER: EVERGREEN DEVELOPMENT LLC). Appealed because rezonings, pursuant to Section 267-12A of the Harford County Code, to rezone 18.46 acres from B2 Community District to R3 Urban Residential District, rezone 30.45 acres from R4 Urban Residential / B3 General Business District to B3 General Business District, and rezone 3.482 acres from R4 Urban Residential District to B3 General Business District, requires approval by the Board of Appeals.

This wasn't really an answer to my question, but it appears that something's coming.

Sign of Development

Driving north on Rte. 24 this a.m. I noticed a "To Whom It May Concern" development sign just north of Bertucci's in the wooded area before Plumtree.
I've always liked that little stretch there because it's still so wooded. I'm not sure what the development is for because it's impossible to read the fine print while driving!
Just wondering if anyone knows what that will be. Another self-storage, perhaps?

Cast Your Vote

Only a few hours left to cast a vote in our very unscientfic poll at right. Thanks to those who have voted and posted comments.
One comment by reader Brian Bittner (and former Green Party District B County Council Candidate) brings up a great point. Why must we be detectives to find out what's happening in Abingdon? I had no idea what the pet store was going to be until a sign appeared.
Which leads me to my next question, is there an endpoint for development in the Constant Friendship complex? As a frequent visitor, it seemed that traffic hit its peak with the Lowes' addition, and now another big box store will add to the congestion.
As I said in my first entry, I'm relatively new to the area so I'm not sure what's been approved for that area. But in the three years I've lived here, it's amazing how much development I've witnessed, not only in that shopping area, but in my neck of Tollgate Road as well.
Here's just a few off the top of my head:
Lowes'
Country Kitchen
Wine World
Chick-Fil-A
New Storage Center (behind Target/Wal-Mart)
Monmouth Meadows new townhouses/houses on both sides of Tollgate
Harford Green
55+ condos across from Library (which in my opinion, in 10 years will look like projects)
At that's only on the Wal-Mart side of Rte. 24.
When I look out my window, I see woods, deer, an occasional fox and in the winter, bluebirds. With more and more development encroaching on my neighborhood, I just wonder how long that will last.